Outline studies on the Bible...

Part I. The Old Testament By

Rev. Conrad A. Hauser

Educational Superintendent, Publication and Sunday School Board of the Reformed Church in the United States

Vol. I. Advanced Heidelberg Teacher Training Course

Copyright, 1914

BY

The Heidelberg Press

Preface

The Advanced Heidelberg Teacher Training Course appears in print in response to a distinct need. The Sunday Schools throughout the land are convinced that success depends almost entirely upon the character of their teaching force. Therefore, they have hailed the teacher training class with enthusiasm, and now look with just pride to hundreds of thousands of graduates from these classes, and to the large number who have secured the diploma through correspondence courses.

The knowledge and inspiration derived from the preliminary course has created an earnest desire, on the part of many of these graduates, to continue their studies with a view to still greater efficiency. To meet this demand this Advanced Course appears in print.

" It is well known that the Teacher Training Department of the Sunday School, pursuing its work during the Sunday School session, in the same manner as the Adult Bible Class, is rapidly supplanting the narrower idea of the teacher training class. The Advanced Heidelberg Teachers' Training Course also seeks to provide a suitable curriculum for this department.

The First Standard Text-book, "Preparation for Teaching" — by Rev. C. A. Oliver — has been recommended by the Publication and Sunday School Board of the Reformed Church as its official preliminary course. The three volumes of the Advanced Heidelberg Teacher Training Course (covering at least two years of work, preferably three), together with the above-named book, thus furnish a complete course of study on the topics necessary to be mastered by the well-qualified teacher.

The Graded Lessons have introduced a serious problem into the Sunday School Teachers' Meeting. Constantly the call comes for a suitable course of study, which will safeguard the former unity of this meeting. The Advanced Heidelberg Teacher Training Course appears as a probable solution of the difficulty. It is suggested that the entire teaching force pursue the Course unitedly during a part of the session, then breaking up into grade sections for the study of the several lessons for the coming Sunday.

iv Preface

Formerly the officers of the Sunday Schools avoided the Teachers' Meeting on the ground that since they did not teach it was not necessary to attend. This course of study should help to correct this error and to attract these workers, since there is much in the course that bears directly upon their work.

Fortunately, the untrained teacher is no longer a necessity. Prompted by the ideal that in the future every teacher shall be a trained teacher, and in the hope and prayer that this day may speedily appear, this Course is planned and presented to the Sunday School public.

Table Of Contents

Lesson page

I. What a Teacher Should Know About the Newer Views

on the Old Testament 1

Appendix

I. Down the Centuries with Israel's Neighbors 117

II. The Canon of the Old Testament 121

III. The Old Testament as Literature 126

IV. How to Study an Old Testament Book 132

DIAGRAMS ILLUSTRATING THE LESSONS*

Lesson page

I. The Sunday School Teacher's Old Testament Library. 6

{Physical Map of Palestine 9 Political Map of Palestine 11 Map of the Old Testament World 14

III. The Babylonian Stories of Creation and the Flood. . .20-22

IV. The Code of Moses and Hammurabi Compared 27

V. Important Events in the Lives of the Patriarchs 32

VI. Map of the Wilderness Journey 37

VII. The Two Views of the Origin of the Pentateuch 44

VIII. The History of Divine Revelation 50

IX. The Tribal Map 56

X. The Judges and Their Deliverances 61

XL The Kings of the United Kingdom 66

XII. The Kings of the Divided Kingdom — Chronologically

arranged 70

XIII. The Kings of the Divided Kingdom — according to

Dynasties 75

XIV. Testimony from the Monuments during the time of

the Captivity 80-82

XV. The Books of the Old Testament. The Order in the

Hebrew and English Bibles Compared 87

XVI. Some Early Prophets 92

XVII. Messages of the Later Prophets 97

XVIII. The Prophets and Kings — Chronologically Arranged.. 102

XIX. Cut of Herod's Temple 107

XX. Chronological Table. Principal Events in Hebrew

History 114

* These diagrams give additional information and should be read carefully and used for reference.